The Hatching of – Bars, Veg and Things Unknown

Jon came, Jon saw, Jon conquered!

We then laid down a most amazing patchwork of carpet, as a mulch to keep the weeds at bay until the Autumn, when the whole plot will be dug. No more grass paths for me. However, I am sorry to report that I intend to apply weedkiller (the most ecofriendly available, but still…) to the top plot. It goes against to grain, but sometimes these things just have to be done. It will be out of the system before any plants are grown, tho, as this area will not be in cultivation until next spring

So, there you go, some things are still going well!

Found out today the Trustees of the grant awarding body had a few questions about our application. As a result, they have deferred the decision until the next meeting at the end of July. This is a little unfortunate, as the training is now booked for the 3rd July and grant funds cannot be awarded retrospectively. It may be possible to fund the course from the donation of December ‘07, but I am inclined try and find another date to attend. This is probably the best solution all round, especially as I am now down to work on that day anyway.

This also means that we cannot yet pay for the insurance and are thus still unable take people on. Whilst I am enjoying pottering about on the allotment by myself (with the occasional bit of help) I really am frustrated at all these unexpected hold-ups to progress. I suppose it may be the Lord’s will that things are held back for a while, though at the moment it just seems like the result of oversights and omissions.

Please be in prayer for me as I seek to amend and resubmit the funding app. Also pray for one of the following:
(a) that things will start to progress faster than the pace of a seedling-munching-mollusc
or
(b) that I will realise that this is how it is meant to be, and stop fretting so much.

If you think it necessary, you may pray for both!

Carrot seed now in, sweetcorn and pea seedlings planted out. Weeds gradually being removed and Jon coming up tomorrow morning to help me by launching an offensive with his brushcutter. Also been offered some cabbages plants by the nice chap at chapel.

Funding app in and being considered, decision meeting taking place on the 18th of this month. Training request in for a course on how to set up a community allotment, taking place on the 3rd July in Leeds. Chance of my attending the latter dependent on result of the former!

Have also discovered that a member of a local communtiy church I am involved with also has a plot on site!

Really need to sit down and have a good think about our constitution.

Not much going on really, not much at all!

The Saga of the Greenhouse
- We had a phone call the other day from the Secretary of the allotments to say that a couple of lads had taken over the plot on which our greenhouse now stands, and had offered to buy it. My first instinct was to say no, which I did. On visiting the plot the other day, however, my new friend Mr. Hill (not his real name) told me that the greenhouse would be well-nigh impossible to move, and that my best bet would be to sell it to the lads. He also informed me that Secretary had been given the greenhouse for free, and that the blokes on the plot had ‘called him all the names under the sun’ when they realised he had ’stolen from a charity’ by selling it to us. Apparantly, the accepted ethic is to give these things away! The upshot of this is that the greenhouse is staying put as ‘the girl’ (that’s me folks!) is selling it to ‘the two boys’, who are happy to pay me what I was charged for it.

Other stories
- The bid is now in for a start-up grant and I have had a phone message from the recipient. I need to return this call in order to discuss the application. Oo-er!
- I have had a letter from one of the guys who used to volunteer with BTCV Chris. This man, who I choose to call Rainbow Warrior, has offered to get involved again. He has a few things to deal with in the coming months, but we should see him coming on board again around Sept. This was a total surprise and is very exciting.
- The potatoes are romping on and I have got around to putting some onion sets in, which were kindly donated by a friend from work. Have also been offered some raspberry canes from a lovely chap at chapel. There is also rhubarb in our fridge from the ‘bonus plant’ I found hiding amongst the weeds in the top plot.
- Weeeeeeds! Please pray for a reasonably easy, effective and relatively organic solution to our weed issue. Otherwise I may have to resort to the poisoning method as advocated by my aforementioned friend, Mr. Hill!

Keep watching this space, people, it is all happening here!